Rajapaksa telephoned Modi to congratulate him on his resounding victory and extended an invitation to the BJP prime ministerial candidate to visit the island-nation, President's spokesman Mohan Samaranayake said.

The BJP win was welcomed in Sri Lanka as the Rajapaksa government's relations with the Congress Party led-UPA government had soured over the years.

The Congress government had backed two UN Human Rights Council resolutions against Sri Lanka while it abstained from voting during US-backed resolution in March.

Leading commentator Dayan Jayathilaka said that the BJP victory would lead the India-Lanka relations into a decisive phase.

Jayathilaka, a former Sri Lankan diplomat, said that Rajapaksa needs to develop a close friendship with Modi.

"Modi-Mahinda (Rajapaksa) friendship will be the key to all this," Jayathilaka said.

"There are similarities in Modi's and Mahinda's political discourses. Both have a nationalist flavour in their political approaches."

He, however, warned there will be forces who would want to create wedge between the two leaders.